Thursday, October 28, 1999 Published at 15:05 GMTEntertainmentActor Woodward quits ArtSnow business: Peter Egan, Edward Woodward and Chris Langham in ArtActor Edward Woodward has pulled out of his first stage role for years because of illness.

The 69-year-old star of The Equaliser reluctantly gave up his West End role in Art after catching flu, the day before he was due to have a vaccination.

"It is the worst flu I have had in my life," he said from his Cornish home.

"It was dreadful. I might have got through the first night, but I would never have go through the first week."

Fatherhood turned Liam from alcohol

Liam Gallagher of Oasis says fatherhood made him give up drinking after he feared he was becoming an alcoholic.

"People around me were making hints," he told Q magazine. "I thought maybe they were right."

The singer revealed that at night he would put a glass of Jack Daniels on either side of his bed so that he could drink them when he woke up.

"I've had a gap in my life and the baby is there to fill it," he said.

Mel C to go global for final tour show

Spice Girl Mel C will round off her whistle-stop world tour with a concert to be seen around the globe.

Her final show on Monday at the Astoria club in London will be beamed out in a live webcast. "I'm dead chuffed that all my fans will be able to join in the fun," she said.

"One of the best things about being in pop is being able to establish a personal connection with your fans around the world."

Michael Douglas's son in drugs arrest

The son of actor Michael Douglas has been arrested for cocaine possession, according to police reports.

Cameron Douglas was arrested on Tuesday in the lobby of a New York apartment building. He allegedly had one gram of cocaine on him, which cost $60 (£96).

Douglas, 20, was charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance. He is due back in court on 17 November.

Michael Douglas was not present. His son told police he was out of town.

Carol ditches designers for High Street

TV presenter Carol Vorderman has revealed that she turned her back on expensive designer labels for the National Television Awards earlier this week.

The Countdown presenter wore a top and necklace bought from a high street store, she said.

"I paid less than £10 for the blue top and £7 for the choker," revealed the 38-year-old.

Ground Force star Charlie Dimmock also wore a dress from a high street store.

Online voters choose new Booker winner

Visitors to the official website of the Booker Prize have voted Colm Toibin's The Blackwater Lightship as the winner.

Visitors to the official website of the Booker Prize voted online for the novel they thought best deserving of Britain's most eminent literary award.

Against the judgement of the six critics, the 2000 voters from across the globe went for Toibin's work.

The Booker judges' choice, JM Coetzee's Disgrace, came in at second place.

Gun trade documentary cleared by ITC

A broadcasting watchdog has cleared Channel 4 of misleading viewers with a documentary about the gun trade.

A newspaper investigation claimed that Undercover Britain: Guns On The Street contained reconstructed scenes which were passed off as real life.

But the Independent Television Commission ruled that there was "insufficient evidence" that its programme guidelines had been breached.

The "video diary" style documentary was about the gun trade in Manchester.

NYPD: Blues on the set of US cop drama

Actors on the set of long-running US drama NYPD: Blue have spoken out after it was put on hold by the ABC network.

Star Dennis Franz, who has played Detective Andy Sipowicz for five years admits he is upset by the decision.

"My sense of trust and loyalty has been shattered, I thought we were important and valuable to this network."

ABC has replaced the independently-produced drama with a programme made by its own studios but scheduled NYPD: Blue to return to US screens in January.